Seven Stars Resort & Spa Executive Chef Edwin Gallardo, is realizing his vision for an exceptional dining experience with a true garden to fork concept, The Farm Restaurant on Grace Bay, scheduled to open this Spring in Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands
The new restaurant concept will showcase a collection of chef-curated herbs, leafy greens, and micro-greens grown and harvested by the culinary team-turned-farmers in Seven Stars Resort’s on-site hydroponic container farm and rooftop garden as part of a menu that features dishes created in collaboration with Celebrity Chef Amanda Freitag.
“We are excited to not only add our fourth dining outlet The Farm Restaurant on Grace Bay to our culinary offerings, but also bring a fresher, more flavorful and healthier dining experience to our guests,” said Gallardo, a two-time Caribbean Chef of the Year. “Supply on the island for even basic needs, such as romaine lettuce, has been a growing challenge made more difficult since the 2020 pandemic. The solution for us was clear, we needed a more sustainable option that we could self-manage.”
“As a fan of Chef Edwin and his innovative approach, it was a joy to collaborate with him on dishes planned for the new restaurant using the greens and herbs he and his team are growing in their hydroponic container farm,” said Freitag. “I know the difference fresh ingredients can make in the taste, texture, and presentation of a dish. I also understand the challenges of procuring fresh ingredients in the region.
“From both a sustainability and culinary perspective, managing and growing your own ingredients to meet the culinary needs of a resort like Seven Stars and its various food and beverage outlets is a true game-changer.”
Within a destination already reliant on imports for more than 95 percent of what it consumes, Gallardo began seeking a more viable, sustainable, and economical solution during the summer of 2020. With much of the hospitality industry shut down during the pandemic, he turned his attention to curating his own organic garden of herbs and micro-greens on an unused rooftop space above the resort’s fine dining restaurant,
The effort yielded fresher-, better-tasting dishes, however space restrictions and weather challenges limited what he was able to grow.
With much of Turks and Caicos sitting on limestone making traditional, soil-based farming difficult to achieve, Gallardo sought out Freight Farms, the world’s leading manufacturer of container farms, whose mission to ship farms not food is based on empowering anyone to grow food anywhere through its line of versatile, modular, and easy-to-use container farms and farm automation software.
In May 2022, Seven Stars Resort & Spa received its Freight Farms Greener “S’’ hydroponic container, becoming the first hotel/resort to act as both grower and end-user. Within eight weeks the resort celebrated their first harvest. The result was a culinary experience that now includes hand-grown and harvested ingredients such as Chicarita Romaine, Starfighter Lettuce, Oakleaf Green Lettuce, arugula, iceberg lettuce, kale, basil, and mint – each rich with unmatched flavor, texture, and color when compared with similar produce that takes weeks to arrive via shipping container and is treated with preservatives and pesticides.
Featuring garden-style seating and a lively bar, The Farm Restaurant on Grace Bay will be located on the corner of Grace Bay Road, just west of Seven Stars Resort’s main entrance.
The restaurant will feature ingredients harvested daily from the hydroponic container farm, offering its own island version of garden-to-fork dining with pan-Asian influences. With a focus on fresh and healthy options, the restaurant will offer breakfast, lunch (including grab-and-go selections), and a more elaborate dinner service.
Following a $12 million capital improvements program in 2019, the resort’s offerings now include two oceanfront heated salt-water pools, a third children’s pool, and a full redesign of its lobby and 167 junior, one-, two- and three-bedroom suites.
Photos Courtesy of Seven Stars Resort & Spa
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